John Stephenson made the difficult decision to close his beloved restaurant Hathorne early this past September. We have never really done an episode where we talk to someone who just closed their place, but John was willing to come on and discuss some of the factors that helped him make that tough decision. We want to say a big thank you to John for the vulnerability to share his experience.

This episode has the longest intro we have ever done, almost 45 minutes. After the intro, we talk with Mike and Marino from Joe Muer Seafood. They tell the story, and a lot of operational content as well. Stay tuned next week for John Stephenson, and The Chandler James Team the following week.

Chris Chamberlain (Nashville Scene Writer) and D. Patrick Rodgers (Editor of the Nashville Scene) join Host Brandon Styll as they talk to Chef's and Restaurant owners about their BON 24 wins, and of course, the acceptance speeches.

Featuring..

Jon and Wilson from NOKO- Best Restaurant (readers pick)

Hrant Arakelian- Owner- Lyra- Best Mediterranean

Andrew and Anne- Owners- The Villager- Best Dart Bar

Andy and Cody- Owners Bad Luck Burger Club- Best Burger. Best Food Truck (with special surprise appearance from Big Daddy Sean Porter of Daddy's Dogs)

Tiffani and Andy- The Catbird Seat- Best New Chef addition

Ben Norton- Chef- Husk- Best Restaurant (writer's pick)

Edger Victoria- Owner/ Chef- Alebrije- Best Chef

Chef V joins the show to talk about his new line of sauces called The Flavorsmith. Crystal and Brandon also taste them all. Chef V also tells his story of coming up through the ranks of Jean-Georges, and moving to Nashville to open Maneet Chauhan's first restaurant Chauhan Ale & Masala house. He left there to pursue a restaurant called the Hook with Dale Levitski, and ultimately opened several restaurants for the Honest company. His story is awesome, and inspirational, and we are so excited to share it with you today!

Morgan Castillo- Owner- Tin Fish- Newburg, IN 3:14

Ed Schwartzman- Owner Gable's Bagels- 17:00

Eric Jones and Jason Smith- Smokeshow BBQ-29:22

Bad Luck Burger Club- Andy and Cody- 40:10

Andrea Chaires- Owner- The Rosepepper- 55:00

Howard Jones- Owner- Kingdom Cafe 1:06"30

Patrick Cairoli- North American Customer Solutions Manager 3:04

Paul Hunter- New Business Development Manager- GFS Nashville- 18:41

Alan Laderman- Owner- Sammies and The Grind -Martin, TN 34:38

Michael Spencer- Owner- Nash Dogs- 49:42

David Parker- Owner- Prime Time Pub and Grille- Newburg, IN 1:01"53

Bill Laviolette- Owner- Shotgun Willies- Nashville 1:15"52

We are talking about the 15 Commitments of Conscious Leadership with Debra Sunderland.

Little Bear is an Atlanta restaurant that is a gold certified Farmer Champion by Georgia Organics. Today Jarrett talks about truly being Farm to Table, and why that is important to him. His restaurant is the definition of locally owned and operated, and I personally can't wait to go back to eat there. This episode is also available on Atlanta Restaurant Radio.

Brandon's Book Club is Back!! We are reading the 15 commitment's of Conscious Leadership with facilitator Debra Sunderland. We are constantly talking about leadership, but what does conscious leadership look like? It's about being intentional, and living above the line. Its about being our most authentic selves, leaving judgement and blame in the rearview mirror. This book has changed my life, and now if your chance to take control of your business and keep it moving forward. We will be doing a LIVE episode on Sept 24, and we would love to have you be a part of it.